Free Swimming funded by the Government from April 1st 2009

gardengirl48

The Government is funding free swimming for local authority leisure facilities for two years from April 1st 2009.
As I understand it local authorities will decide individually how to participate in the scheme. e.g. in the New Forest where I live - newforest.gov.uk/leisure, the scheme will be for over 60's and under 17's only. To register you need to provide evidence of age and address and a nominal 'one off' charge of £2.00 will be made. You will then be issued with a user card which must be presented to reception on every visit. This scheme is NOT restricted to New Forest residents as many centres are on the border with other districts.
Happy Swimming!

Maybeanotherday

Hiya Ive seen this too bradford are offering under 16s free swimming after the 1st april,not sure if you have to register.

millie

All over 60s are supposed to get free swimming in England from April 2009

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/aboutus/2008/june/swimming.asp

znbut9

This is all I could find on it.
http://www.everyoneactive.co.uk/Home/News/tabid/599/NewsStoryID/41/Default.aspx

Dunx69

pah i need free swimming too - will just have to take a trip to the beach.

certainly a good idea though

Ellie2758

This has started in the Medway area of Kent already. So if you live in or near Medway head for any of the council run Leisure Centres.

pippa93

EDIT: Just found this list http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/sport/5810.aspx

Doesn't give many details though.

Found these sites for some individual districts:
http://www.ashfield-dc.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/leisure-and-culture/leisure-centres/free-swimming/

http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/freeswimming

http://www.braintree.gov.uk/Braintree/leisure-culture/Leisure/FREE+Swimming.htm"]

http://www.chichester.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=11178

http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/content/press-releases/2009/feb/freeswimmingannounced.en;jsessionid=9A61A0EA8ABA72AC6589221DC900EB73.tcwwwaplaws1

http://www.brent.gov.uk/sport.nsf/Sports%20activities/LBB-155

http://www.burnley.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=12720

http://www.thisissussex.co.uk/uckfield/Free-swimming-April-1-aged-60/article-672245-detail/article.html

http://www.york.gov.uk/leisure/swimming/free_swimming/

For Herefordshire
http://www.freeswim.org.uk/

For County Durham
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/local/southdurham/4125350.Free_swimming_from__April_1

Not by any means a comprehensive list: just a quick google for "free swimming april 1st"

This link seems to be more general: http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/media_releases/5661.aspx

Sounds like most councils are offering something like this.

cazbie16

I'm a resident of the Borough of Spelthorne and we're included from the 1st April, should save us some money with 4 kids! And the cards for EveryoneActive are free to register for as well. At the moment it costs £1.85 per child.

surfsister

Ipswich not doing it as it costs the poll tax payer a fortune as the government doesn'r reimburse them enough money so the poll tax payers have to pay, just the same as free buses for over 60's.

lew

http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/sport/5810.aspx
UA = Unitary Authority
Adur
Allerdale
Alnwick
Amber Valley
Arun
Ashfield
Ashford
Aylesbury Vale
Babergh
Barking & Dagenham
Barnet
Barnsley
Barrow-In-Furness
Basildon
Bassetlaw
Bath & North East Somerset UA
Bedford
Berwick-Upon-Tweed
Bexley
Birmingham
Blaby
Blackburn With Darwen UA
Blackpool UA
Blyth Valley
Bolsover
Bolton
Boston
Bournemouth UA
Bracknell Forest UA
Bradford
Braintree
Breckland
Brent
Brentwood
Bridgnorth
Brighton And Hove UA
Bristol, City Of UA
Broadland
Bromley
Bromsgrove
Broxbourne
Broxtowe
Burnley
Bury
Calderdale
Cambridge
Camden
Cannock Chase
Canterbury
Caradon
Carlisle
Carrick
Castle Morpeth
Castle Point
Charnwood
Chelmsford
Cheltenham
Cherwell
Chester
Chesterfield
Chester-Le-Street
Chichester
Chiltern
Chorley
Christchurch
City Of London
Colchester
Congleton
Copeland
Corby
Cotswold
Coventry
Craven
Crawley
Crewe & Nantwich
Croydon
Dacorum
Darlington UA
Dartford
Daventry
Derby UA
Derbyshire Dales
Derwentside
Doncaster
Dover
Dudley
Durham
Ealing
Easington
East Cambridgeshire
East Devon
East Dorset
East Hampshire
East Hertfordshire
East Lindsey
East Northamptonshire
East Riding Of Yorkshire UA
East Staffordshire
Eastbourne
Eastleigh
Eden
Ellesmere Port & Neston
Elmbridge
Enfield
England
Epping Forest
Epsom & Ewell
Erewash
Exeter
Fareham
Fenland
Forest Heath
Forest Of Dean
Fylde
Gateshead
Gedling
Gloucester
Gosport
Gravesham
Great Yarmouth
Greenwich
Guildford
Hackney
Halton UA
Hambleton
Hammersmith & Fulham
Harborough
Haringey
Harlow
Harrogate
Harrow
Hart
Hartlepool UA
Hastings
Havant
Havering
Herefordshire UA
Hertsmere
High Peak
Hillingdon
Hinckley & Bosworth
Horsham
Hounslow
Huntingdonshire
Hyndburn
Ipswich
Isle Of Wight UA
Isles Of Scilly
Islington
Kennet
Kensington & Chelsea
Kerrier
Kettering
Kings Lynn & West Norfolk
Kingston Upon Hull, City Of UA
Kingston Upon Thames
Kirklees
Knowsley
Lambeth
Lancaster
Leeds
Leicester UA
Lewes
Lewisham
Lichfield
Lincoln
Liverpool
Luton UA
Macclesfield
Maidstone
Maldon
Malvern Hills
Manchester
Mansfield
Medway UA
Melton
Mendip
Merton
Mid Bedfordshire
Mid Devon
Mid Suffolk
Mid Sussex
Middlesbrough UA
Milton Keynes UA
Mole Valley
New Forest
Newark & Sherwood
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Newham
North Cornwall
North Devon
North Dorset
North East Derbyshire
North East Lincolnshire UA
North Hertfordshire
North Kesteven
North Lincolnshire UA
North Norfolk
North Shropshire
North Somerset UA
North Tyneside
North Warwickshire
North West Leicestershire
North Wiltshire
Northampton
Norwich
Nottingham UA
Nuneaton & Bedworth
Oadby & Wigston
Oldham
Oswestry
Oxford
Pendle
Penwith
Peterborough UA
Plymouth UA
Poole UA
Portsmouth UA
Preston
Purbeck
Reading UA
Redbridge
Redcar & Cleveland UA
Redditch
Reigate & Banstead
Restormel
Ribble Valley
Richmond Upon Thames
Richmondshire
Rochdale
Rochford
Rossendale
Rother
Rotherham
Rugby
Runnymede
Rushcliffe
Rushmoor
Rutland UA
Ryedale
Salford
Salisbury
Sandwell
Scarborough
Sedgefield
Sedgemoor
Sefton
Selby
Sevenoaks
Sheffield
Shepway
Shrewsbury & Atcham
Slough UA
Solihull
South Bedfordshire
South Bucks
South Cambridgeshire
South Derbyshire
South Gloucestershire UA
South Hams
South Holland
South Kesteven
South Lakeland
South Norfolk
South Northamptonshire
South Oxfordshire
South Ribble
South Shropshire
South Somerset
South Staffordshire
South Tyneside
Southampton UA
Southend UA
Southwark
Spelthorne
St Albans
St Edmundsbury
St Helens
Stafford
Staffordshire Moorlands
Stevenage
Stockport
Stockton-On-Tees UA
Stoke-On-Trent UA
Stratford-On-Avon
Stroud
Suffolk Coastal
Sunderland
Surrey Heath
Sutton
Swale
Swindon UA
Tameside
Tamworth
Tandridge
Taunton Deane
Teesdale
Teignbridge
Telford And Wrekin UA
Tendring
Test Valley
Tewkesbury
Thanet
Three Rivers
Thurrock UA
Tonbridge & Malling
Torbay UA
Torridge
Tower Hamlets
Trafford
Tunbridge Wells
Tynedale
Uttlesford
Vale Of White Horse
Vale Royal
Wakefield
Walsall
Waltham Forest
Wandsworth
Wansbeck
Warrington UA
Warwick
Watford
Waveney
Waverley
Wealden
Wear Valley
Wellingborough
Welwyn Hatfield
West Berkshire UA
West Devon
West Dorset
West Lancashire
West Lindsey
West Oxfordshire
West Somerset
West Wiltshire
Westminster
Weymouth & Portland
Wigan
Winchester
Windsor And Maidenhead UA
Wirral
Woking
Wokingham UA
Wolverhampton
Worcester
Worthing
Wychavon
Wycombe
Wyre
Wyre Forest
York UA

Rabbitx

surfsister wrote: »

Ipswich not doing it as it costs the poll tax payer a fortune as the government doesn'r reimburse them enough money so the poll tax payers have to pay, just the same as free buses for over 60's.

Mmmmmm ....happy to pay for excessive salaries to our council chiefs though!